Hamilton Bulldogs 2018 Offseason Thread

[bobber]

The Bulldogs are a team with size when you go through the line up. Add the amount of skill they had on the roster plus a great goal tender they are certainly built to win a championship. A lot of credit has to go to their GM for putting the right pieces in place to win the OHL. Still can't believe how they put Kingston out so fast after the Fronts spent so much to contend.

 

[digiblader]

The Bulldogs are a team with size when you go through the line up. Add the amount of skill they had on the roster plus a great goal tender they are certainly built to win a championship. A lot of credit has to go to their GM for putting the right pieces in place to win the OHL. Still can't believe how they put Kingston out so fast after the Fronts spent so much to contend.

Yeah. And Kingston won't be a good team again for a very long time with no 2nd rounder until 2026.. though the same can be said for Hamilton after the Memorial Cup--after this year's Priority draft, they won't see a 2nd round pick until 2027.. luckily, flags fly forever--but how long will it take for the Bulldogs to get back to the Memorial Cup? Staios did mortgage a lot of the future.

But that's for another day. Let's enjoy the championship and trip to Regina now and win the cup, then worry about future consequences.

 

[HoundsfaninSudbury]

Congrats to Hamilton and their fans on winning the Ohl from a hounds fan. It was a tough and fun series that could have went either way. Best of luck in Regina!

 

[OSA]

Curious who Robert Thomas linemates primarily were during both the regular season and playoffs.

Excited about his development since being drafted 20th overall in the 2017 NHL Rookie Draft.

He mostly played with Strome and Saigeon but had guys like Kaliyev mixed in as well.

 

[bobber]

Congrats to Hamilton and their fans on winning the Ohl from a hounds fan. It was a tough and fun series that could have went either way. Best of luck in Regina!

The Hounds played the Attack and Kitchener. Those series could have gone either way. Hamilton not so much. They were rested and play physical. Still a hell of a lot of great hockey for OHL fans to watch.

 

[Canadian Game]

Curious who Robert Thomas linemates primarily were during both the regular season and playoffs.

Excited about his development since being drafted 20th overall in the 2017 NHL Rookie Draft.

Regular season: primarily Strome - Thomas - Entwistle. Thomas had difficulty finding chemistry and Gruden tried almost every line combination imaginable with him.

Playoffs: Saigeon - Thomas - Nurse. After a loss to Ottawa early in the first round, the lines were shaken up again. So much so that Saigeon was moved to LW with Thomas, which hadn't been done before. Saigeon is a natural center and solidified his spot on the second line. Since that game, Saigeon has remained on LW with Thomas as they formed a lot of chemistry together. Isaac Nurse was RW on the top line for almost all of the playoffs, except Strome played RW for the final 2 games.

Going back to players finding chemistry, this isn't a knock on Thomas or any others. After watching Thomas for a few months, you can see he has a unique style of play. He loves to control the puck can often evade defenders in their own end while he has puck possession. Players likely had to adjust, much like he also had to adapt to his new teammates' style of play. With Thomas players need to anticipate unexpected passes, including passes through a lot of traffic. He's been an incredible addition to the Bulldogs.

 

[kovacro]

Credit to one fantastic owner, Michael Andlauer. Without him, none of this would be possible.

Tap of the stick to you.

Opinion | Michael Andlauer was ‘the best thing to ever happen to hockey in Hamilton’

 

[Texcanuck]

Good luck in Regina, gentlemen. I notice the host team was another first-round exit team this year, a-la Windsor last year. Thoroughly rested versus 3 teams that have been thru the wringer. It’s going to be a challenge!!

 

[thetank247]

Good luck in Regina, gentlemen. I notice the host team was another first-round exit team this year, a-la Windsor last year. Thoroughly rested versus 3 teams that have been thru the wringer. It’s going to be a challenge!!

Yes good luck , it seems every year lately the host teams are out in 1st or 2nd round I think it's b.s. . I think what ever league host it the 1st place team overall or the league champion should host it . Too bad it's all about money and not the game. And i know this year it was open bid by all league's.

 

[Hammer9001]

So now that we are onto the Memorial Cup, would anyone care to offer some analysis on how they expect things to go? I mean, I really don't have a lot in way of reference for the Pats, Titan or Broncos but I would presume they are likely considered the 3rd seed, just based on casual analysis (and CHL rankings) but realistically when dealing with a championship of champions, it's anyone's game. Anyways, here's some analysis just based on CHL rankings, playoff performance and accomplishments, time zone issues and league seeding that should help things out.

The Regina Pats seem like a solid team that won't be a host team cakewalk. They they took the western champions Swift Current to 7 before getting knocked out in the first round (WHL seeding seems odd to me), so the team shouldn't be taken lightly. Especially given they are without a doubt the most rested team (but potentially the most rusted team) and will have likely had plenty of time to scout the competition. They aren't in the top 10 rankings but will have home advantage, which also counts for a lot. They finished 7th in their league (which compared to the OHL should put them in the same area as Owen Sound, London, Kingston and Niagara who all had generally strong showings in the playoffs) and likely would have gone further if they hadn't had to face Swift Current.

Speaking of the Swift Current Broncos, they went 7-7-6-6 who based on that logic would be the weakest team, but it doesn't seem that simple. While they had the easiest final series according to CHL rankings (facing the 7th ranked Silvertips), keep in mind (for reasons I don't quite understand with their playoff formatting) they also had to face the number 2 CHL ranked team and WHL leader Moose Jaw during the playoffs. This also means they had to conquer two of the CHL's top 10 teams to get the Memorial. They certainly had the hardest journey to get to the cup, going through league ranked 7, 1, 11 and 3. They finished 2nd in their league. They'll also however likely be the most worn out having played a grueling 26 games against top competition, although they will be likely busing to the game (being only 2 hours away from Regina) and may have a quasi-home ice advantage as well.

Then we have the Acadie-Bathurst Titan who appear to have steamrolled their league, going to games 6-4-4-6 in their playoff series. They finished off the 3rd ranked Armada despite being ranked 6th in the CHL rankings. They had to go through league ranked 15, 10, 6 and 1 in Chicoutimi, Sherbrooke, Victoriaville and Blainville-Boisbriand. They finished 2nd in their league and will be likely the next well rested next to the Pats. That said, they'll also suffer a 3 hour time zone shift which can mess you up, making your 7pm game into a 10pm game.

Then of course we have our Hamilton Bulldogs who went 5-5-5-6 as far as games, beating the top ranked Greyhounds which no one else can say and was certainly a tall task. The Dogs currently sit in 8th place in the current CHL rankings, which is lower then everyone else here but Regina. They had to go through league ranked 15, 9, 8 and 1 in Ottawa, Niagara, Kingston and Soo. We finished 2nd, but realistically 3rd due to Sarnia having more points. We also are likely the 3rd most well rested team, but given we only had to play one more game to the Titan's 20 which shouldn't be substantial. That said, the Bulldogs will suffer a two hour time zone change on the flight over.

Hope this helps.

 

[HoundsfaninSudbury]

The Hounds played the Attack and Kitchener. Those series could have gone either way. Hamilton not so much. They were rested and play physical. Still a hell of a lot of great hockey for OHL fans to watch.

I agree Owen sound and Kitchener could have won the series and the title this year also. Watching the hounds it was almost as if we played three finals series in a row.

 

[zman77]

Kaden Fulcher

Geoffrey Brandow‏ @GeoffreyBrandow May 13

#OHLChampionship #SSMvsHAM:
@BulldogsOHL Kaden Fulcher goes the distance playing every minute -
save for being pulled for an extra attacker - in the #OHLPlayoffs.
He is the first goaltender to play every minute since Scott Dickie
of the Kitchener Rangers in 2003.

 

[From Up Top]

The Regina Pats seem like a solid team that won't be a host team cakewalk. They they took the western champions Swift Current to 7 before getting knocked out in the first round (WHL seeding seems odd to me), so the team shouldn't be taken lightly. Especially given they are without a doubt the most rested team (but potentially the most rusted team) and will have likely had plenty of time to scout the competition. They aren't in the top 10 rankings but will have home advantage, which also counts for a lot. They finished 7th in their league (which compared to the OHL should put them in the same area as Owen Sound, London, Kingston and Niagara who all had generally strong showings in the playoffs) and likely would have gone further if they hadn't had to face Swift Current.

Speaking of the Swift Current Broncos, they went 7-7-6-6 who based on that logic would be the weakest team, but it doesn't seem that simple. While they had the easiest final series according to CHL rankings (facing the 7th ranked Silvertips), keep in mind (for reasons I don't quite understand with their playoff formatting) they also had to face the number 2 CHL ranked team and WHL leader Moose Jaw during the playoffs. This also means they had to conquer two of the CHL's top 10 teams to get the Memorial. They certainly had the hardest journey to get to the cup, going through league ranked 7, 1, 11 and 3. They finished 2nd in their league. They'll also however likely be the most worn out having played a grueling 26 games against top competition, although they will be likely busing to the game (being only 2 hours away from Regina) and may have a quasi-home ice advantage as well.
.

The Western Hockey League uses the same playoff model as the National Hockey League. Hence why Swift Current had the tougher road to the final and Regina was out in the first round.

Would be nice if all three leagues used the same playoff structure ahead of the Memorial Cup to even the playing field sort of speak.

Great write up though BTW.

 

[GensLensBrandon]

I have been "Setting the Stage in Regina" with a 4-part series breaking down the seasons of each team involved leading up to puck drop this friday evening!

Here is part 2, featuring your OHL Champion Hamilton Bulldogs!

Setting the Stage in Regina: OHL Champions

Part One can also be found here, featuring the QMJHL Champion Acadie Bathurst Titan:

Setting the Stage in Regina: QMJHL Champions

 

[Canadian Game]

So now that we are onto the Memorial Cup, would anyone care to offer some analysis on how they expect things to go? I mean, I really don't have a lot in way of reference for the Pats, Titan or Broncos but I would presume they are likely considered the 3rd seed, just based on casual analysis (and CHL rankings) but realistically when dealing with a championship of champions, it's anyone's game. Anyways, here's some analysis just based on CHL rankings, playoff performance and accomplishments, time zone issues and league seeding that should help things out.

The Regina Pats seem like a solid team that won't be a host team cakewalk. They they took the western champions Swift Current to 7 before getting knocked out in the first round (WHL seeding seems odd to me), so the team shouldn't be taken lightly. Especially given they are without a doubt the most rested team (but potentially the most rusted team) and will have likely had plenty of time to scout the competition. They aren't in the top 10 rankings but will have home advantage, which also counts for a lot. They finished 7th in their league (which compared to the OHL should put them in the same area as Owen Sound, London, Kingston and Niagara who all had generally strong showings in the playoffs) and likely would have gone further if they hadn't had to face Swift Current.

Speaking of the Swift Current Broncos, they went 7-7-6-6 who based on that logic would be the weakest team, but it doesn't seem that simple. While they had the easiest final series according to CHL rankings (facing the 7th ranked Silvertips), keep in mind (for reasons I don't quite understand with their playoff formatting) they also had to face the number 2 CHL ranked team and WHL leader Moose Jaw during the playoffs. This also means they had to conquer two of the CHL's top 10 teams to get the Memorial. They certainly had the hardest journey to get to the cup, going through league ranked 7, 1, 11 and 3. They finished 2nd in their league. They'll also however likely be the most worn out having played a grueling 26 games against top competition, although they will be likely busing to the game (being only 2 hours away from Regina) and may have a quasi-home ice advantage as well.

Then we have the Acadie-Bathurst Titan who appear to have steamrolled their league, going to games 6-4-4-6 in their playoff series. They finished off the 3rd ranked Armada despite being ranked 6th in the CHL rankings. They had to go through league ranked 15, 10, 6 and 1 in Chicoutimi, Sherbrooke, Victoriaville and Blainville-Boisbriand. They finished 2nd in their league and will be likely the next well rested next to the Pats. That said, they'll also suffer a 3 hour time zone shift which can mess you up, making your 7pm game into a 10pm game.

Then of course we have our Hamilton Bulldogs who went 5-5-5-6 as far as games, beating the top ranked Greyhounds which no one else can say and was certainly a tall task. The Dogs currently sit in 8th place in the current CHL rankings, which is lower then everyone else here but Regina. They had to go through league ranked 15, 9, 8 and 1 in Ottawa, Niagara, Kingston and Soo. We finished 2nd, but realistically 3rd due to Sarnia having more points. We also are likely the 3rd most well rested team, but given we only had to play one more game to the Titan's 20 which shouldn't be substantial. That said, the Bulldogs will suffer a two hour time zone change on the flight over.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the info.

I really don't know what to make of the Memorial Cup matchup. I've been looking up rosters and recognize a few names on each team, just like many would with ours. I look at our depth and would like to think it would be tough for others to match the depth but I'm sure other teams also have good depth and their fans may not understand our depth as well. One thing we do have is a very veteran defence - all have turned age 20 (Lemcke is 21).

Since I've been looking up stats and info on and off ever since we reached the OHL finals, I figured it would be helpful if we had some sort of quick reference about each team. Feel free to provide any input. It's probably safe to say that we all aren't nearly as familiar about our 3 CHL opponents. This will help provide a glimpse of visual insight.

Remember that when you click the playoff stats, you can easily switch to their regular season stats from the drop down menu. For notable players, I only looked up the top 100 within Central Scouting rankings.

Regina Pats
Season record: 40-25-6-1 (72 games), 245 GF, 235 GA
Playoff record: 3-4 (7 games), 20 GF, 21 GA

NHL affiliated players: 7 (4 forwards, 3 defence)
Forwards: Sam Steal (ANA, round 1, #30), Jake Leschyshyn (VGK, round 2, #62), Nick Henry (COL, round 4, #94), Jesse Gabrielle (BOS, round 4, #103)
Defence: Libor Hajek (TB, round 2, #37), Josh Mahura (ANA, round 3, #85), Cale Fleury (MTL, round 3, #87)
Other Notables:

Full roster: WHL Network
Playoff stats: WHL Network

Acadie-Bathurst Titan
Season record: 43-15-8-2 (68 games), 270 GF, 183 GA
Playoff record: 16-4 (20 games), 73 GF, 44 GA

NHL affiliated players: 4 (3 forwards, 1 goalie)
Forwards: German Rubstov (PHI, round 1, #22), Antoine Morand (ANA, round 2, #60), Jeffrey Truchon-Viel (SJ, free agent signing)
Goalies: Evan Fitzpatrick (STL, round 2, #59)
Other notables: Noah Dobson (ranked #5 by Central Scouting)

Full roster: QMJHL – Includes live game day coverage, audio and video clips, exclusive stories, game tickets, stats, standings, schedules and features.
Playoff stats: QMJHL – Includes live game day coverage, audio and video clips, exclusive stories, game tickets, stats, standings, schedules and features.

Hamilton Bulldogs
Season record: 43-18-4-3 (68 games), 252 GF, 207 GA
Playoff record: 16-5 (21 games), 91 GF, 59 GA

NHL affiliated players: 9 (6 forwards, 2 defence, 1 goalie)
Forwards: Robert Thomas (STL, round 1, #20), Mackenzie Entwistle (ARI, round 3, #69), Will Bitten (MTL, round 3, #70), Matthew Strome (PHI, round 4, #106), Marian Studenic (NJ, round 5, #143), Nicholas Caamano (DAL, round 5, #146)
Defence: Riley Stillman (FLA, round 4, #114), Nicholas Mattinen (TOR, round 6, #179)
Goalies: Kaden Fulcher (DET, free agent signing)
Other notables: Arthur Kaliyev (#4 in CHL regular season rookie goals, #2 among 16 year olds)

Full roster: Ontario Hockey League – Official Site of the Ontario Hockey League
Playoff stats: Ontario Hockey League – Official Site of the Ontario Hockey League

Swift Current Broncos
Season record: 48-17-5-2 (72 games), 284 GF, 213 GA
Playoff record: 16-10 (26 games), 77 GF, 66 GA

NHL affiliated players: 9 (6 forwards, 2 defence, 1 goalie)
Forwards: Aleksi Heponiemi (FLA, round 2, #40), Tyler Steenbergen (ARI, round 5 #128), Beck Malenstyn (WSH, round 5, #145), Georgio Estephan (BUF, round 6, #152), Matteo Gennaro (WPG. round 7, #203), Glenn Gawdin (CGY, free agent signing)
Defence: Josh Anderson (COL, round 3, #71), Colby Sissons (NJ free agent signing)
Goalies: Stuart Skinner (EDM, round 3, #78)
Other notables:

Full roster: WHL Network
Playoff stats: WHL Network

*Edit: I'm not sure why my links came out the way they did (I only copy and pasted the link address). However they should still take you to the right page.

 

[Hammer9001]

Yeah. And Kingston won't be a good team again for a very long time with no 2nd rounder until 2026.. though the same can be said for Hamilton after the Memorial Cup--after this year's Priority draft, they won't see a 2nd round pick until 2027.. luckily, flags fly forever--but how long will it take for the Bulldogs to get back to the Memorial Cup? Staios did mortgage a lot of the future.

But that's for another day. Let's enjoy the championship and trip to Regina now and win the cup, then worry about future consequences.

This is only conditionally correct. From my understanding if Robert Thomas comes back instead of playing for St. Louis (something which you have stated you don't think is likely in the graduates thread and now that he's won the 99 trophy, I'm more inclined to agree with you now on that one) then the 2026 and 2027 picks stay in Hamilton. Conversely though, if Thomas does end up staying, I think there is little question he'll be traded come deadline given his playoff experience, and I would expect him to be worth at least 2 high picks, if not more. I think it would be actually pretty funny if London and opted to go for it next season and traded to get him back. I don't think they will, as I think 2019-2020 is when they'll load up, but it would still be funny.

Like you said though, the Banners will hang forever (ideally) and the run ain't done yet. Adding four banners is quite the feat.

 

[GensLensBrandon]

Here's a breakdown of WHL Champ and Memorial Cup Tournament opponent Swift Current Broncos

Setting the Stage in Regina: WHL Champions

 

[EvenSteven]

This is only conditionally correct. From my understanding if Robert Thomas comes back instead of playing for St. Louis (something which you have stated you don't think is likely in the graduates thread and now that he's won the 99 trophy, I'm more inclined to agree with you now on that one) then the 2026 and 2027 picks stay in Hamilton. Conversely though, if Thomas does end up staying, I think there is little question he'll be traded come deadline given his playoff experience, and I would expect him to be worth at least 2 high picks, if not more. I think it would be actually pretty funny if London and opted to go for it next season and traded to get him back. I don't think they will, as I think 2019-2020 is when they'll load up, but it would still be funny.

Like you said though, the Banners will hang forever (ideally) and the run ain't done yet. Adding four banners is quite the feat.

He can't be traded back to London (13 Month rule). But he would bring a ton at next year's deadline should he play in this league next year.

 

[EvenSteven]

Yeah. And Kingston won't be a good team again for a very long time with no 2nd rounder until 2026.. though the same can be said for Hamilton after the Memorial Cup--after this year's Priority draft, they won't see a 2nd round pick until 2027.. luckily, flags fly forever--but how long will it take for the Bulldogs to get back to the Memorial Cup? Staios did mortgage a lot of the future.

But that's for another day. Let's enjoy the championship and trip to Regina now and win the cup, then worry about future consequences.

Kingston will do what Windsor and Erie did this year to recoup draft picks. Those two teams' draft pick cupboards were nearly as bare as Kingston's is now at the end of last season.

Their cupboards are stocked again.

 

[zman77]

Robbie Thomas interview with Mile Stubbs

Mike Stubbs‏Verified account @stubbs980 3h3 hours ago

Robert Thomas of the Hamilton Bulldogs talks about heading to the
@MCMemorialCup and about tough drills in practice that really do pay off.
https://omny.fm/shows/am980/robert-thomas-of-the-hamilton-bulldogs …

 

[Hammer9001]

One more sleep till the memorial.

 

[TheCoach]

One more sleep till the memorial.

enjoy!!! It's defiantly one thing to just watch but with your team in it just makes watch that much better Go Bulldogs bring the cup back

 

[GensLensBrandon]

Your opponents tonight!!

Setting the Stage in Regina: Host

 

[houndtastic]

Well good luck to you guys, tonight starts the second part of your quest this spring. Although in short tournments like these anyone can pull it off i feel its between you guys or swift current and the only reason i think swift current might beat you guys is cause of special teams that top line over there seems to feast on the pp more then most and pk is your guys prolly biggest weakness going in. I look foward to watching some world class junior hockey for atleast one more week.

 

[Northernstormfan]

Guelph Storm fan here. Just want to say good luck in the Memorial Cup. Will be watching and cheering your team on. Bring the cup home to Hamilton and the OHL.